O Antiphons for Advent

There was a wonderful thread perhaps 18 months ago about music for a service of Advent Lessons & Carols, with many great suggestions for anthems.

What I'm looking for specifically is settings of the "O Antiphons" or "Advent Antiphons" - we do the settings by Healey Willan and Peter Hallock, and I'd love to find another setting to alternate in. We're not a large parish choir, and I don't think we can handle anything in 8 parts, so the lovely Chilcott "Advent Antiphons" are out, and Arvo Part's "Magnificat-Antiphoner", but SATB with occasional divisi is manageable.

The Great “O Antiphons” of Advent. SATB div a cappella and congregational verses with Organ accompanimens. A set of seven brief and compelling original compositions based on the ancient text, “Veni, veni, Emmanuel.”
Brusick’s English text derives from Neale’s and Lacey’s well-known translations, bringing the key idea of each verse to the forefront. The seven sections of the text, each relating to corresponding verses in the familiar hymn, evoke both a spirit of mystery and one of anticipation that we find no other time in the church year.

The movements are not intended to be sung one after another, though they can be. It is most effective if the movements can be interspersed throughout a service or concert with appropriate readings, responses and prayers in between. It is also a common practice to sing the corresponding verses of the traditional hymn between the antiphons.
So at our request [Harrock Hall Music] Mr. Brusick graciously composed accompaniments for each of the various verses of the traditional hymn. The verses are designed so that each follows its antiphon in an appropriate and singable key. The organist should not introduce the verses by playing last phrases or any other improvised material, but
should intone the beginning note of the verse, and after the slightest of pauses, immediately begin the verse itself. The exception is the last verse, for which a brief introduction is given. Registrations should remain simple, employing foundation stops only, and never exceed mezzo–forte.

Last year I wrote a set of Advent Antiphons for Chorus (an amateur choir based in Oxfordshire, UK). The text uses the seven invocations (O Sapientia etc.), and the repeated word 'Veni' alongside a text of my own. It parallels the anticipation Christians feel during Advent – waiting for the light of the Redeermer – with the experience of waiting for the light of spring, which those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere will be familiar with. You can listen to it here:

Four overlapping Gregorian antiphons sung respectively by altos, bases, sopranos and tenors serve as an introduction to the work Antiphon and The Child of Mary which I wrote for the Alice Parker’s Melodious Chord competition a while back; it was the winning work and was admirably premiered by her Melodious Chord ensemble. It was subsequently recorded, with countertenor Daniel Taylor taking the solo line (which has subsequently been performed by an alto soloist.)

The six-minute piece is in four parts– the opening four antiphons; an antiphon solo Hear ye now, O house of David; a very brief invocation Behold! A virgin shall conceive… and The Child of Mary, the major portion of the piece, for SATB, quite a bit of it in divisi, but all very melodic and ‘tonal’ (i.e. modal). The countertenor part may be sung by an alto. The embedded solo melody is based totally on an ancient Gregorian chant that turned up in an old hymnal in Newfoundland, Canada. Many of the compositional techniques used in the work derive from those found in early music of the Christian church. The piece may be heard in part at

This past Christmas I used "O Come, O Come Emmanuel (with Antiphons)" by William H. Mathis with choir, congregation, reader, handbells, handchimes, strings, flute, clarinet, and organ. It can be done wondefully well with just choir, organ, reader, and congregation or with any combination of the other instruments. It is outstanding.